NYC Housing Court Judge Susan Avery Denied Reappointment

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Good decision. Former Judge Avery was originally dismissed due to her belief she could run the courtroom like a personal fiefdom. The Administrative Judge that denied the reappointment recognized this fact stated she lack the appropriate temperament ot be a judge.

NYC Housing Court Judge Susan Avery Denied Reappointment

The complaints against her included a 2013 incident in which she chided a lawyer with cerebral palsy for having bad handwriting, according to the letter.

Judge Susan Avery. Facebook Photo

Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks has decided not to reappoint New York City Housing Court Judge Susan Avery, determining that “she lacked the judicial temperament needed to perform her job,” said Lucian Chalfen, director of public information for the Office of Court Administration.

Marks made the decision “after considering the recommendation by The Housing Court Advisory Council along with discussions and input from her four supervising judges,” Chalfen said.

Avery, who presided over a housing part in Brooklyn but then moved to Manhattan, was criticized for lengthy delays in proceedings before her and conflicts of interest regarding her family’s real estate holdings, according to a copy of a confidential letter from the advisory council that was read to the New York Post.

The complaints against her included a 2013 incident in which she chided a lawyer with cerebral palsy for having bad handwriting, according to the letter.

“Given what I believe is corruption in the judicial reappointment process, including but not limited to my #metoo claim being swept under the rug, I have called upon the governor of the State of New York and the New York State Legislature’s Committee on Oversight and Investigation to review the reappointment process, which has caused me great pain, nonetheless we must endure for a better day. God bless,” Avery said in a statement.

Attempts to find out more about the #metoo claim were unsuccessful.

Barry Kamins, a partner at Aidala Bertuna & Kamins and a retired state Supreme Court justice who represented Avery before the advisory council, said he had no comment.

In 2016, Avery ran for a seat on the bench in Manhattan Civil Court but lost to Sabrina Kraus in the Democratic primary. During the run-up to the primary, the New York City Bar Association gave Avery a “not approved” rating. The City Bar does not publicly release the reasoning behind ratings.